The son of late Chinese scholar Ji Xianlin and a prestigious university are at loggerheads, after Ji junior failed to reclaim items donated to the college by his father.

On Tuesday, a Beijing court dismissed Ji Cheng's lawsuit against Peking University, which accepted 649 items from Ji Xianlin based on a donation agreement inked in 2001.

In 2012, Ji Cheng filed a lawsuit against the university demanding the return of all the "precious items," including books, manuscripts, pictures, calligraphy and paintings. According to Ji Cheng, before his father's death in 2009 he had been entrusted to take care of the items in question.

Peking University holds that Ji Xianlin never withdrew the donation agreement, and that his donations are owned by the nation and society as a whole.

"The collection is for the good of academics and the public, and the law protects public donations."

Ji Cheng said he will appeal against the ruling.

Ji Xianlin, a native of east China's Shandong Province, was born on Aug. 6, 1911. He was best remembered for his research into ancient Indian aboriginal languages, primeval Buddhist languages and Sanskritic literature. He also translated works from ancient Indian and primeval Buddhist languages.

Ji could speak 12 foreign languages. He was a professor with the oriental studies department of Peking University from 1946 to 1983. He also served as deputy president of the university between 1978 and 1984. Endi

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